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Conservatives say they are happier Liberals show more cheer in smiles, word choice and even emoticon use Democrats in Congress and liberals in general used more positive language and smiled more with their eyes

By Associated Press

Published: 13:50 EST, 12 March 2015 | Updated: 16:25 EST, 12 March 2015

Conservatives say they are happier, but liberals show more cheer in smiles, word choice and even emoticon use, claims a new scientific study.

Other researchers found fault with the study, which looked at how Democrats and Republicans differ in positive language in speeches entered into the Congressional Record, photos in the congressional directory, tweets by followers of the two different political parties, LinkedIn photos associated with advocacy groups, and answers to psychological satisfaction-with-life surveys.

The scientists found Democrats in Congress and liberals in general used a statistically significant amount of more positive language and smiled more with their eyes in photographs, while conservatives self-reported more satisfaction with life, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Conservatives say they are happier, but liberals show more cheer in smiles, word choice and even emoticon use, claims a new scientific study.

The researchers examined 18 years and 432 million words of speeches in the Congressional Record, concentrating on 2013.

Democrats used 13.6 positive words for every negative and Republicans used 11.5 positive words per negative.

'We're not saying liberals are happier, they behave happier,' said study co-author Peter Ditto, a professor of psychology at the University of California Irvine. 'But conservatives report being happier.'

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Conservatives say they're happy, but liberals show it